Archive | January, 2013

Well, if you haven't heard about it then you may have been living under a small rock recently as the 'Paleo' way of eating has exploded among foodies and is becoming one of the fastest growing food trends ever. The Paleo diet is also sometimes referred to as 'The Caveman Diet' because it supports the following awesome mantra: "if you can't kill it or grow it, don't eat it!" Basically, it means cutting out all artificial and man-made substances from your diet and resorting back to the presumed way that we used to eat in ancient times.. when we didn't have easy-to-slice, bleached white bread at hand to pop in the toaster when we were peckish.

Cavemen and hunter gathers alike had to work for their food, they had to grow it, pick it or kill it and then even prepare it as well.. can you imagine such an era? I love the simplicity of the way of eating that comes along with this diet - in fact, I don't believe "diet" to be the appropriate term for this, "diet" makes it seem slightly intimidating as I'm sure we can all agree. No, Paleo is more of a way of life, a few simple changes to make to improve our eating habits. In abolishing all artificial things from our diets we, in turn, can look forward to less illness and disease, more energy and a better ability to concentrate. Perhaps we could achieve a lot more if we took some advice from Cavemen and worked for our food.

Not only is Jo Nesbo a master at writing crime novels, he is also one of Norways biggest rock stars, a retired stockborker and was even a football player once.

We’ve already devoured four of his books based on Inspector Harry Hole and much to our delight, the first instalment of the series, “The Bat” has finally been translated into English!

If you fancy reading a a series that will have your pulse racing from start to finish, book after book, we suggest you pick up a copy of any of his novels. For the ultimate experience and to truly delve into and immerse yourself in Harry Hole's world - start from the beginning.

One of our favourite ever social platforms has now become a huge and reliable compilation of fashion inspiration. Pinterest has been growing at a ridiculous rate over the past few years and we've enjoyed getting fully hooked on it - it has become an unmissable daily habit. There are so many different uses for Pinterest, mainly we love perusing around for great photography, funny quotes, artsy things and, of course, fashion tips and inspiration.

As much as we love shopping online at our various favourite stores, there is something more endearing about seeing how people have put together outfits to fit their own style. Our favourite outfits, we have decided, are not always the expensive designer ones, actually they are the ones that combine a mixture of vintage thrift, high street and perhaps a cheeky designer item - street style. The most important thing is that you express your own style through what you wear and we've found some amazing "Pinspiration" that inspires us to do just that.

You can let us know what you think and what you like in our comments box below. Find us on Pinterest to see more of our compilation of visual awesomeness: pinterest.com/littlewingmag

"Baby, it's cold outside." No, I mean really cold - snowing and everything, minus degrees and all. On this fine weekend, the cold and heinous weather inspired this warming recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Bread. Adapted from a recipe by 'Joy the Baker' - this bread is an absolute winner, and it will warm up your kitchen and make your house smell amazing - beware, you'll want to eat every morsel of it in one sitting.

A great way to mash the bananas is to peel them and squeeze them with your fingers over a mixing bowl (this also is a great stress reliever) - try to squeeze until most of the lumps are gone.

Feel free to adjust the sugar levels in this bread to your liking. The measurement is 1 cup but it works out just the same if you use a little less or a little more. Adding nuts and chocolate is also optional so this is a great recipe to play with, make it your own, depending on your mood.

We don't know much about this four-piece band (yet) but what we do know is that alternative indie group White Giant has been kicking up a storm in the Midlands since they got together late last year. With their energetic, fearless sound and stage presence, these boys have taken it upon themselves to create some pretty banging music for us to enjoy.

We'll have more on them in the near future - once we get the chance to go to Leicester, hit up some of their gigs and have a chat with them.

And so, without further ado, here's a link to their bandcamp page where you can download their self-titled EP (and you can name your price for it!)

It is said that way back when in the 1930's when JRR Tolkien was in Oxford University grading papers, he came across a blank page amongst the others and out of the blue he wrote on it: "in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit". Unbeknown to him, this would go on to be the first line of a literary phenomenon that would capture hearts and imaginations all over the world. This was the beginning of an "unexpected journey" for Tolkien, not dissimilar from that of the hobbit in question, Bilbo Baggins.

After an epic trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings was a hard act to follow. Now delving back into Middle Earth, Jackson had another major task on his hands in delivering one of the most beloved fantasy books of our time into film. As the first part of another (sure to be epic) trilogy, The Hobbit was a great start.

Martin Freeman gives an endearing and inspiring performance as the courageous hobbit that chooses to step out of the comfort of his shire and embark on a big adventure with Gandalf the Grey and a dozen dwarves. During his unexpected journey, Bilbo encounters majestic elves, monster-like orcs (the stuff of nightmares), a schizophrenic goblin, giant flying eagles and a few other certainly unexpected surprises.

Just like the book, the movie showcases the courage and determination of one small little Hobbit that took a chance and proved that his bravery could match anyone stronger or more fight-worthy than him.

There were a lot of moments that I loved in this film but the most captivating has to be the scene where Bilbo first meets Smeagol, the schizo, scary but sweet (in a way) goblin. Smeagol and his "evil half" Gollum are in constant battle to fight their way out and stay in control. When Gollum comes across a juicy hobbit in his dark cave, he thinks he's gotten lucky with a tasty meal until Bilbo decides to play a game of riddles with Smeagol instead. The special effects are genius and the character of Gollum brilliantly played by Andy Serkis.

The boys from A Night Underwater have been busy at work! Little Wing got exclusive access to these pictures from the shoot of their upcoming video for 'Departures.' They endured freezing conditions last night to wrap up the last bits of filming with a super high-tech slow-mo camera. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!

We'll be sure to keep you posted when it's released. In the meantime, you can download their album for free here and enjoy the sweet soundscapes from this epic band.

Last night we took a little stroll down Dean Street in London's Soho. Our aim was to find one of the most talked about restaurants in town: Burger & Lobster. It was recommended a few weeks ago by a fellow food lover so we decided to give it a go, despite the warning of a long wait before being seated.

I'm not a huge fan of waiting for food. I'm pretty impatient, especially after work when I tend to feel rather peckish. Nevertheless, we had visitors all the way from Colombia, so this was a must. And let me tell you - it was well worth the hour and a half wait. Like, really worth it.

We chilled by the bar with some mojitos (9.50 a pop, but if this is a bit too steep for your liking, the maître d' takes your name and number so you can go for drinks elsewhere while you wait for your table) chatting about this and that, filled with anticipation as waiters went to and fro carrying delectable platters teasing us with incredible smells.

Finally seated in our booth, we were given a pretty straighforward choice - it's all in the name - burger or lobster. You can have the lobster whole or in a sweet brioche bun or you can have a beef burger, all accompanied by skinny fries and a bowl of salad. Without a doubt in our minds, we went for the whole lobster and the bun and I haven't been so happy about eating something since I tried a pork burrito in the Mexican eatery Wahaca (another story for a different day). The lobster meat was cooked to perfection, succulent and served with a heavenly garlic and butter sauce on the side. Chips - crispy. Salad - refreshing. The meal in its entirety - finger-lickin' good.

Go to this place. I urge you. Each platter is £20, a reasonable price for a filling and totally banging meal.

There seems to be music in this world to suit every mood, every occasion and every persons taste. There is music that will cheer you up after a long day of work, music to gear you up for a great night out, even full blown raver music to blow your mind away into the night. But the music that we're talking about here? We're talking about music to chill to. I, myself, am someone who appreciates and takes something from all different kinds of music: blues, soul, rock & roll, psy-trance - you name it, I have a mood for it! Some of my favourite times in the world are when I come across an amazing song to put into the "chill-bank". Here's a few of our top chill-out tunes:

Since we've successfully survived the much over-hyped year of 2012, we think now is the perfect time to write a great 'Bucket List' and make a resolution to work through it this year as much as we all possibly can.

Nicole and I will be putting our heads together to come up with an epic combination of our dreams and aspirations. We commit to coming up with 'one a day for the Bucket List' and we invite you to do the same!

Let's create a great list together. Use the hashtag #LWBucketList and get creative; show us your ultimate "Things to do before you die" through photos, images, illustrations or written musings.

Keep a look out on for our Bucket List below where we'll be updating the gallery daily, and keep us filled in on yours through your preferred social site: Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook.

At the end of the month we'll put all the great ones together and create 'The Ultimate Bucket List'.

Sitting in on a grey Saturday afternoon, I've discovered a little recipe that will change all of our lives! It's the simplest and most delicious brownie recipe ever. Utilising the deliciousness and all round competency of the great Nutella, this recipe involves just 3 ingredients and 3 simple steps. I found the recipe on Instructables.com and have made a small adaptation - instead of making lots of little brownies in cupcake cases (also a delightful way to go), I've chosen to make one big massive cookie shaped brownie, because we love to do things in excess, why not break some boundaries ey?

Here's the recipe:

1 cup / 280g Nutella

10 tablespoons / 62g Flour

2 Eggs

...and that's it!

Mm Nutella - how we love thou.

What to do:

Put all ingredients into a bowl, mix and jig it around. Pour the mixture into a baking tin or muffin tin. Optional: top with your choice of nuts for a fun twist. Bake at 180C / 350F / Gas mark 4 for about 30 minutes, or a little longer until the middle is all cooked through.

Then you're finished and you can revel in the ease of baking, and your cleverness of course, whilst tucking into tasty Brownies.

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.
So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”